Monday, December 29, 2008
Post Holiday Baking
I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! I know I am! I have been doing some great holiday baking from Go Dairy Free! I love this book and I have only just begun! Here are a couple of things that I tried just recently...

Super Yummy Ginger Cookies
(these were loved by everyone)
Oatmeal Blender Waffles
(I made mine pumpkin and ate it with a dip of fresh pumpkin with a little sweetened soy milk)

Labels:

posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 9:44 AM   2 comments
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Cooking Under Pressure...
Written for GoDairyFree.

Let me start by saying that I am not one that is easily frightened in the kitchen. However, there is one piece of equipment that I have avoided for years because I feared what might happen if I use it. This piece of equipment is the pressure cooker! My mother-in-law was nice enough to buy me one a few years ago (due to her love of using them) and it has been sitting in my cabinet ever since. The Veggie Queen has helped me overcome my fears of the pressure cooker! Jill Nussinow has published a DVD, Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look Delicious Dishes in Minutes. I have never gotten a DVD for cooking before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. This was extremely helpful! Along with the DVD is a recipe book with all of the recipes written down and pictures to go along with the recipes. I like that she gives options for seasoning, as well. After watching the video, I pulled out my pressure cooker to check it out. The one I owned was not nearly as fancy, but after reading the manual that came with mine, I was excited (and still a little nervous) to get started. I picked the black beans to start with because I had everything on hand to make them and I figured if I messed up, they did not cost much to start with (I hate wasting food), so I really had nothing to lose. So, with my husband by my side (for moral support), we put the beans on to cook. We were both skeptical that we could really be eating black beans in around 5 minutes, but we were both willing to give this a shot! I am happy to say that this was a huge success! We were eating our taco salads with freshly cooked black beans within 10 minutes! Not only were they cooked, but we were both pleased with how well they were cooked! Seriously, beans normally take hours to cook! This was so exciting! I have already picked my next recipe to make and I am not afraid to try it. I have to say, that actually being able to get dinner on the table that quickly is nice and the DVD really helped me take the plunge to discover how easy using the pressure cooker could be! If your life is busy and you like to provide healthy hot meals for your family, I highly recommend this DVD!

Labels:

posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 1:23 PM   2 comments
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Chili...
Chili is one of those recipes that everyone has a version or two that they go to when they need that big bowl of all-in-one goodness during the colder months. I have played around with many variations and really non of them have been bad. Really, the secret to great chili is all in the quantities of the ingredients. I never found the perfect match...then came this version. It all started with my father-in-laws recipe that he found in a magazine. The crazy thing about the original recipe is that it involves a lot of chopping. I streamlined it not too long ago and then went one step further this last time. It takes 20 minutes or less to throw all of this together and you are done. As with all chili recipes, this is better the next day, but delicious right away too!

Oh, and yes, the illustrator and the kids love this meat free version!
My Favorite Chili
(based on Easy Ed's recipe)

3 cups frozen pepper and onion mix (if these are larger pieces, grind in a food processor to desired size)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
12 oz. soy crumbles
15 oz. can tomato sauce
14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
5 cups cooked pinto beans (the secret special ingredient)
1/2 cup water
3 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 TBSP vinegar

Cook the peppers and onions until translucent. Add the garlic and sautee for a minute. Add a little water to the pan if you need moisture to keep the vegetables from burning or sticking. When vegetables are cooked, put everything in the pot except the vinegar. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the vinegar in the end.

1 cup = 180 calories

Variation
(this is my other version)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers (diced)
2 cups diced onion
1 lb. soy crumbles
15 oz. can tomato sauce
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 15 oz. cans black beans
2 cups cooked pinto beans (the measurement is weird because I normally use home cooked)
1/2 cup water
3 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 TBSP vinegar

Same directions as above. Another option is to throw it all in the crockpot!

1 cup = 177 calories

Labels:

posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 1:06 PM   4 comments
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Holiday Sweets
I don't know about you, but things have been kind of crazy around here lately! Starting right before Thanksgiving, both of my little ones have been sick and the youngest one is sick again with something new. He likes to keep things lively around here, so I can always count on him to come up with a new and exciting illness during the colder months!

Although things have been busy with the kids and the holidays, I have found some time to bake. Baking happens to be one of my favorite ways to relax. So, when I got the new Mission: Impossible Pies ebook, I was ready to find something festive to bake! I am not a pie crust kinda girl, so I was happy that Hannah had worked some magic to put together some great pie recipes for the holidays! You know me, I have to play with recipes, so I made a couple of changes to the Cran-Cherry Pie. I did not have cherries, but I had some apples that were not right for me to eat (the illustrator - while I appreciate the attempt - got the wrong apples - and he will tell you that I am an apple snob). I also decided to make them mini pies to show that this makes them even better for holiday parties! I love serving individual treats at holiday parties because then you can serve a variety! These worked out perfectly and I highly recommend getting this ebook if you will be having anyone at your holiday party that can not have dairy! There are so many options in the book that I am sure you will find a great variety for your holiday party!

I wanted to give everyone a heads up...Go Dairy Free is doing a gift package giveaway this week! It is two gift packages (two winners) from Divvies. They are vegan and made in a food allergy-friendly facility (no dairy, eggs, nuts). The products do contain or may contain traces of wheat, so they aren’t suitable for those who are completely gluten-free. You can check out all the details at Go Dairy Free and One Frugal Foodie! I know I am going to get in on this! Good Luck!

Labels:

posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 12:23 PM   4 comments
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Lots of Reading!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I know I did! I was lucky enough to spend it with my family at my grandmother's house. Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday and being with my grandmother made it that much more special to me! On to the reading...it is a long drive there and since we were stuck in horrible traffic all the way there I had lots of time for reading. My reading of choice was the newly released Go Dairy Free. This book is amazing and full of helpful information for those of us out there that can not (or will not) consume dairy. Go Dairy Free does not only have detailed information about products and resources, but it has so many recipes for making dairy alternatives from scratch. I had no idea how easy some of this could be. I already have quite a few recipes bookmarked and I can't wait to share my experiences with you! I will definitely be sharing them soon!

Oh, if you ever need more information about living dairy free, check out Alisa Fleming's site and blog!

Labels:

posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 4:25 PM   1 comments

Name:
Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen
Home: Atlanta, GA, United States
About Me: Lactose Challenged
See my complete profile

Previous Post
Archives
Links
Blogs I Like